It took them a week to reach the city core as well as set up base. Scouts were out right now, looking for alternative ways to get out after they were finished with the city core. Hope stood at the railing looking out. There were three ways down, a ramp, an old ladder and an elevator that still worked. The observation deck they were on observed the city from a distance. It was large. Not as large as Hope expected though. The city core of the 5th Ark had been vast and scary to be honest.
This looked more like the ruins of Paddra back from 10AF. Big enough to need a team, but not so large as to be an entire cityscape. It was obvious that unlike the 5th Ark, that people didn't live here permanently, but did something more like a work shift. What worried Hope though, was in the distance an ominous structure that looked like the Pulse Vestige that Anima had once hidden inside of. Vestiges were useful, they housed an amazing independent system that created power. It had proved useful when they first built Academia... Once they were sure that the remnants of Anima were really dead and gone.
He shook himself. Just because a vestige was here meant nothing. There were similar structures all over Pulse where civilizations once thrived. It was the 'gift' from the Fal'cie to humans to gain their favor without making l'cie if what Vanille had told him was true. Oerba use to have one as well, but it had long been destroyed in the War of Transgression. Anima had hid in the one that made it to Cocoon from what had been another village, hiding from the Cocoonian Fal'cie.
It was strange to Hope, that the Fal'cie would really war between each other if they had the same goal. Then again, they did go about their goals differently. He guessed that it was because the Pulsian Fal'cie didn't believe that their Maker would come back by creating a sacrifice. After all, they searched for the gate, they didn't try to make one.
A hand settled down over his disturbing his thought process and he looked up to see Noel staring out into the city core as well. The hunter said nothing as he stared at it blankly, he seemed a thousand miles away. Hope paused as he stared at him, taking in his partner's countenance. Noel's hair fluttered in the soft bursts of wind provided by the air cyclers. His eyes were narrowed as he looked out. His face was covered in small freckles, probably from living in a place without shade for so long.
The cycle finished and his hair lowered. Hope felt his own settle as he brought his other hand over to rest on top of Noel's. The hunter seemed as disturbed by the vestige as he was. He turned after a moment and looked to Hope with something rather odd in his face.
"Do you know what Fal'cie are?" He asked quietly and Hope shruggd.
"Gods maybe? Or demi gods I guess. After all, Pulse, Lindzei created them and they exist only to complete their focus.
"They are crystals." Noel turned to face him. "Crystals that can give and take form. And from that form their other powers manifest. The way to kill a Fal'cie is to destroy it's crystal. But it protects it zealously." Hope nodded, he knew all of this after all. He had theoretically wanted to build a Fal'cie at one point. He'd made it based on what he knew about Anima and had unfortunately created Adam. Or at least that was the way that Noel had told what he knew of the story.
"It was how we defeated those that we destroyed." Hope replied quietly. "Not just Barthandulus and Orphan. We also defeated Dahaka and Anima."
"That makes you the most powerful guy I know." Noel teased as he turned to face him. "But that still makes me nervous."
"Oh?"
"In the 400AF with a Fal'cie... It was stored in something like that."
"Ah... that would be my fault." Hope replied with a sad little smile. "When we decided to make the proto Fal'cie... It had to run on it's own power... It's own crystal so to speak. And at the time to me it made sense to use another old Pulse Vestige to house it. As you can tell all these things look the same."
"Not very inventive are they?" Noel asked as he looked at Hope's face a little smile tugging on his lips.
"A vestige is made for war. While a Fal'cie has it's own protective covering over it's crystal for it to interact with the world... it is not armor in any sense of the word. A vestige as I've leaned from my research... Allows Fal'cie to be housed, move into the fight and amplifies it's ability to find people." He swallowed hard as he looked away from Noel and clenched his hands tightly. "To make cieth."
"What's that's frightening." Noel replied with a shudder. "So... it's both a power source and a Fal'cie weapon. We should really be careful incase something is in it."
"It's doubtful." Hope replied as he turned back and moved closer to Noel. "We would have seen something by now. Anima had been inside the Pulse Vestige hiding from where Cocoonian forces had accidentally taken him on board. His vestige was originally just outside of Oerba. The villagers would go to him for the strength to become l'cie. To carry out his bidding and mostly their own."
"That makes no sense. I thought Fal'cie were for their maker."
"All Fal'cie have a Focus. Anima's was on the people... to help raise humans that could one day become Ragnorok and destroy Cocoon." He squeezed Noel's hand. "It's all very morbid really. The important thing, is that Fal'cie rely on their crystals. And it is very easy for them to make Cei'th... L'cie on the other hand... is much harder."
"Well that's reassuring to know."
"It takes strength... Strength of heart I think... to resist the compulsion to become a Cie'th during the compulsion that makes them. It would be hard to turn us into Cie'th... Our strength is different."
"That... makes no sense."
"Your heart... is strong in a way that a simple compulsion can't affect. Which is what the vestige would be doing right now if a Fal'cie was inside of it. Some members of our camp would have turned into Cie'th by now... Maybe not Arcane." The mage laughed softly and then tugged Noel even closer. "Enough about that... it's depressing."
Noel kissed his forehead and then his nose. "Says the one who researched it all."
"After I heard Serah yelling at me about the proto Fal'cie. I looked into it. I explored every inch of Anima's vestige and how it worked. I looked into all of what was in Eden Library and the secret library about any and all information I could find on Fal'cie... and what they could do. It's amazing what I found... Eden was a very knowledgable Fal'cie and in it's private recesses it held all the information that it knew. A secret library with nothing but information on Fal'cie. I never would have found it if you and Serah hadn't inspired me."
"I thought all we did was inspire you to not use Fal'cie power... Since it would make Cie'th... A world just like Cocoon." Noel turned back to look at the vestige. "That's what that reminds me of."
"I had to prove it Noel. Prove that Fal'cie can't be controlled by human hands. Because at first it was horrible. We didn't know how to do anything without Fal'cie tech. It was by luck that the people listened to us about using Pulsian tech to at least help to pump electricity into the parts of Cocoon that were still livable. The Pulse Vestige saved us all... Even after it damned the six of us."
"I hate it when you talk like that." Noel hissed as he squeezed Hope's hand. "As if you can't see how amazing the world has become in such a short time away from those toxic beasts."
Hope laughed lightly and he pulled Noel close kissing his cheek. "Even now... it's hard. To be accepting of what I once was. Come on, let's go get some food."
Arcane stood at the head of the afternoon excursion group. She looked them over, casting a long look over Hope that let the scientist know that she still hadn't really forgiven him for going down the hole after Noel. And it didn't matter, Hope would have done it a thousand times. Especially for someone he cared so deeply for. Sighing at the group of nine, the whole excursion team. The only ones left behind were base came minders.
"Alright." She ordered as she turned and looked out into the city core. "We are going to do this carefully hear me? I have point. Noel has center and Boak has rear. Everyone else, sort yourself accordingly. ETA should be 2 hours to get to the hive."
She made a harsh gesture and headed towards the ramp. Hope sighed lowly as he fell into step with Noel. It was a natural movement all on it's own. These kind of trips into violent territory weren't unusual to him. But to traverse in something that they weren't really sure what they were looking for really took him back to his L'cie days. Even if the cast was a little different.
After the first day, he noticed that everyone had relaxed a bit more. There was nothing here. It was eerie to see the empty corroded buildings up close. No building was taller then about 5 stories. And the 'city' itself was like one lonely husk. It reminded Hope of the excursion he'd went on into Paluploum after he'd arrived to this time period. His hometown, empty now and terrifying looking.
"Seems like there's nothing here boss in the way of the living." Ardent spoke as he looked around. "No monsters, no weapons..."
"And there shouldn't be. The city core was not for the weapons." Arcane bit back harshly and then she softened a bit. "It reminds me of the barracks... only abandoned."
Ardent swallowed at that thought, remembering that this place was once made to inhabit the people that created, and probably tested these weapons. Long dead, after being used to create an army for whatever Fal'cie had commanded them.
"Isn't that what we're looking for?" Boak called out from the bad, distracting everyone from their somber thoughts. Down a ways, on the diagonal was a building about four stories high. It was leaning dangerously to the side but it had a fountain in front of it and empty stone flower beds filled with weeds and other parasitic plant life that could survive the low amounts of water that could have made it to such a place.
Hope looked down at is datapad and nodded to himself. "That's the building according to the map."
"Good." Ardent replied as some of the other troops grumbled in the background. They entered the building and Arcane ordered them to fan out. Looking for the central computer that would house the information they were looking for.
They found nothing. Once they regrouped on the outside, Hope took a deep breath and then sighed softly and closed his eyes. "I must have miscalculated. It is most likely then in the vestige."
"You mean that?" Arcane asked as she thumbed over her shoulder in the direction of the giant structure. "Isn't that dangerous. I feel like we should avoid that shit."
"I miscalculated. I thought that the computer would be housed in the human's base of operations. But instead, this is a warship right?" Hope waved his hand about. "When this thing takes on it's true role, a Fal'cie will come and assume command inside that. And it will need access to all the information about how to operate it and where it's 'troops' are so that it can deploy them."
"So then the information you are looking for is in there." Noel grumbled and Hope sighed. "I think so."
"Well, we aren't going there today. Let's head back." Arcane ordered sternly.
"You seem tense." Noel murmured as he collapsed by side Hope inside their tent. "Is it about tomorrow?"
"I don't want to go in there." He admitted. "Going inside vestiges... It makes me nervous."
"Then tell me what you need. I can store the information in the decoder." Noel stated as he reached for Hope and pushed his hair our of his eyes. "You don't need anymore undue stress."
"I have to go." Hope admitted quietly. "Who knows what shape the computers in that thing are in... And I'm the only one that can make it 'talk' so that we can get the information. I just... Noel?" Hope watched as the hunter moved.
Noel moved behind the smaller man and pulled him back into his arms. Hope sighed evenly as he laid his head against Noel's chest. He could hear the brunette's heartbeat and he closed his eyes. Noel wrapped his arms around him as he laid back against the tent pole. Hope wanted to finish what he was saying but he found himself loosing the will to speak as he continued to lay cradled in his lover's arms.
"Tomorrow." Noel spoke after a moment, his voice soft and tender. "We'll find whatever it is that you're looking for. But you're hiding something from me."
The mage's eyes opened wide. He stared out and into the semi darkness that the tent afforded them to make a pseudo nighttime. He tried to pull away but stopped, Noel showed no signs of letting him go. He slumped back down and closed his eyes.
"I'm not hiding anything from you... I just haven't... told you everything."
"Then what is everything." It was even and calm, a bit more like Noel and Hope felt nervous. He didn't want to talk about that, and he had hoped that he could work out his plans without disturbing Noel.
"I know you're forgetting." He finally whispered. "I know you think it's because you think we're changing things inside your past... I think it's because of Caius."
The grip on him tightened. "And why would you think that?"
This time Hope was insistent about pulling away, he could cuddle with Noel later and in a much better places. When he spoke again, he spoke softly, afraid that someone, anyone might over hear.
"You are meant to replace Caius... Or die trying... I don't care to know which one. If you replace him, the only way to make you a guardian that won't go insane...Is one that forgets. Forgets things that attaches him to the world. To people. I've noticed that you talk less and less about your village but more and more about the history or technology that you remember from the lessons Caius gave you. He changed you Noel... Whether you know it or not. He changed you and the closer you become to whatever the hell he is... The closer you become to losing Noel. And I don't want that."
The other swallowed hard and turned away. What Hope was saying was something that had crossed his mind many times. The odd way in which his memories faded and the dark gaps that took their place. It made him feel like he was going insane but it was obvious that while he'd been hiding from it, Hope had been searching for a solution.
"And what do you hope to find here?" He asked uietly.
"Yeul... has always existed. It would make sense that the Fal'cie would have sought her out to look for places in the Timeline that are good for trying to execute their plans. This ship... not unlike the 5th Ark is meant for the other war... A war that is beyond our understanding."
"And you think that Caius has been here before?"
"I think that some of the technology on how to create Oracle Drives... If I know how to make it... I think I can use it to change what's happening to your memories." He stated quietly.
"What does that even mean?"
"I'm not really sure I know." Hope admitted quietly. "But I know that Orcale Drives store memories and in some way they must be programed to Yeul to store her memories. And I think that Caius is using that technology to store your memories and sort them? So that you can recall certain ones but not others. I want to make it so that he can't..."
A quiet settled between them and they looked at each other quietly. Noel swallowed hard. He had thought that no one had realized all that was happening to him. After all, you change the past you change the future so why would it seem weird for him to lose things? And yet, Hope had put a lot of thought into it and into him. He felt absurdly touched and wanted to show the other.
He grasped Hope's hand and squeezed tightly. He wasn't sure of what he wanted to say or wanted to do. He didn't want to feel vulnerable in this place. And so he locked it down as best he could and looked to the daunting structure in the distance. Tomorrow they were going to into the Vestige.
"You know, it would probably be easier to do this if we just knocked down a few buildings with magic." Capers commented as he looked around the deaden cityscape. "This place gives me the damn shivers."
"Bad idea." Asher responded as he skirted around part of a fallen building. "Most of the shit here isn't actually bound to it's area. Who know's what a massive explosion would call to is. I have a desire to go home to my family yo know?"
There was a round of laughter. But it was uneasy due to the amount of truth in those words. Other then the incident with the shield lizard everything had been going pretty well, if you didn't mind the lack of information gathered. There seemed to be nearly nothing here from the places they'd looked. Nothing on the plans of how the Ark was built and certainly none of the secret information that Hope wanted.
At last they approached the doors leading in to the Vestige, it sent eerie shivers down Hope's spine as the headed up to the doors. A shrine to Fal'cie. Their battle armor against the one who exists beyond. He already hated this place, but he had gone plenty of places he hated before. He couldn't stray from the goal.
"All right, we have to be careful in here. From what we know of Vestige they have their own quirks of battle ready ready equipment. Most of it probably the same as what was in the Ark. Is there anything else we should be aware of?"
"There may or may not be cie'th. After all, we do no know what happened to the people of this village and cie'th are near immortal as far as we know."
"Thanks for that comforting thought." Noel grouched as he let the advance team open the doors.
"Well the thing is... Is we don't know everything about Fal'cie... They aren't exactly forthcoming about removing the part of themselves that make them mystics. All we know..."
"Is that they have a range in which they can send a compulsion to make cei'th but we aren't sure what the maximum distance is to make l'cie." Arcane replied with a grim face. "But according to you cei'th don't die right Estheim?"
"Right." Hope responded grimly. "When I first came to Pulse... All that were here were animals, the occasional cie'th and the last wishes of dying l'cie... Those who hadn't accomplished their focus."
Noel swallowed hard at that. He had met one such monster when he had traveled with Serah. The first few levels were empty. They seemed much more lifeless to the hunter then the city core had. He stepped a bit closer to Hope. He found his mind focusing on the idea of there not being a Fal'cie, but the more he thought about it. The more sure he was.
"Hey Hope... You said that there are literally thousands of Fal'cie right?" He asked quietly although his voice echoed through the small hallway as they walked.
"More like millions. The amount of power each one has varies but no one really knows. The power to make l'cie supposedly come from their gods... Pulse and Lindzei respectively since the l'cie would display very different brands." Hope looked back at him and noticed the worry in his eyes. "Why, what are you thinking?" He asked as he signaled the other to stop.
"Have you ever encountered a Fal'cie who's focus was to fight?" Noel asked and he watched as Hope paled.
"No... they were all to search for the door, or to find a way to bring back their maker." Hope looked forward into the corridor. He approached Noel and cupped his face. "What do you remember? What's in there?"
His voice was so soft now that the others couldn't hear actual words. Arcane frowned and signaled everyone to stop and take a rest. Everyone was too keyeed up and simply held onto their weapons. Looking around nervously as the waited for the next order. Noel closed his eyes and dug into the memory of information that was building in his mind. He swallowed hard, his voice barely audible.
"There's a Fal'cie here." He opened his eyes and looked at Hope with wide despair darkened eyes as he looked piercingly into Hope's. "It's asleep I think."
"Asleep?" Hope asked, his own eyes darting across Hope's face trying to understand what he meant by a sleeping Fal'cie. How could one be sleeping considering the must follow their focus.
"In the history that I know... A Fal'cie sleeps in one of the Arks... waiting to make the soldiers for the battles beyond."
"Then we should retreat." Hope turned from Noel abruptly. "We're are heading back to base. It's not safe here."
"What?" Arcane stood up. "Why?"
"There is a Fal'cie sleeping here. One meant to fight. We can't risk disturbing it." He was about to head back when an explosion rocked the building.
Hope crashed into Noel and the two hit the floor hard. Noel wrapped an arm around the other, his other arm casting his swords out of the way but still in reach. Everyone else tumbled as well. The group looked around at each other.
"That wasn't from inside." Arcane hissed as she stood. "What felled us was a recoil. Asher radio back."
Hope stared at Noel with wide eyes and then pushed off the hunter to sit up. "I need a computer terminal. Come on!" He stood up and pulled Noel. Arcane screamed at him as he and the hunter dashed the few feet back to the panel they ignored. Bypassing secrecy Hope pressed his hands against the computer and pushed for answers.
"What's he doing?" Boak asked as she stood between the two groups her hands ready to cast magic.
"Talking to the machines. Just wait a minute." Noel replied and as the woman gave him a look of confusion.
They all waited patiently, quietly listening for what would happen next. Asher put down the communicator and shook his head. If anyone was alive and it was unlikely at this point, they couldn't get near a communicator. Hope released his hands from the computer and let his hands fly on the keyboard. He slammed his hands on the grid and turned to face the other.
"They type of Fal'cie here is called a Shield Fal'cie... It can... Fight and it's crystal is deeply embedded in it's armor. I know we aren't the type of force you might think we need for this. But we have to stop it."
"Hope... I think this is a little beyond us." Arcane replied.
"The amplifier on this vessel could hit Academia and turn at the very least a 1/4 of the people into cei'th. We have to stop it." He looked at Noel and then nodded to the others. "I don't really think we have a choice."
Arcane looked around grimly at the others and nodded. "Here's the plan. The cieth has to be in the central core. We're close. We can get there relatively quickly. Since it attacked the base and we haven't heard a second explosion that means it doesn't know about our transport above. Furthermore this place is kept afloat by a graviton core. We'll stop the Fal'cie, which may or may not kill it's power souce. It'll leave the Ark dead in the sky... but it'll still remain afloat. Agreed?"
Noel looked at the others all varying degrees of terrified and thought of the ProtoFal'cie Adam. He grabbed Hope's hand and squeezed it tightly. "There's nothing else we can do. In a few minutes it will seek to make Fal'cie... Some of us might fall."
"Noted." Arcane replied grimly. "Move out."